Thread veins are thought to be caused by a variety of factors:
• An increased tendency to develop them can be hereditary,
• Changes to hormones can increase the likelihood of thread veins appearing,
• Some lifestyle choices can also make thread veins more likely: smoking and long periods spent sitting or standing.
They are very common and although they look like mini-varicose veins, they are not usually accompanied by discomfort or bulging. As we can see from the causes, it may be possible to reduce the risk of developing thread veins, but very difficult to prevent them altogether.
Luckily, they can be removed rather easily using Intense Pulsed Light Treatment, which effectively destroys the dilated blood vessel beneath the skin. When the light is applied to the skin, the haemoglobin contained in the blood absorbs the light energy and it is converted to heat energy.
Once temperatures inside the vessel reach somewhere between sixty and seventy degrees Celsius, the cells that line the vessel wall are denatured and the vessel begins to disintegrate. Any waste matter is then absorbed and removed from the site, causing the thread vein to disappear from view.
